Code of Honor
by bigwhoopers
Summary: Damon emotions were muted, maybe not even there at all. Bonnie knows people should be afraid of him but she doesn't have a reason to be.


The first time Bonnie Bennett met Damon Salvatore there hadn't been anything about the encounter that gave any suggestion that it would be the moment her life changed forever. Maybe it was because she was only eight and couldn't fully grasp or understand what was happening or maybe it was because her life had already been flipped upside down by her father being incarcerated and she being pulled away from her home, a drunken grandmother deemed unfit, and friends and placed into foster care.

Her life had already become an unfamiliar stranger, a little black haired boy sitting in the corner of a living room that was all blue and green and smelled like piney wood cleaner clutching a worn paper back book didn't seem very life changing at all.

"He's always got that damn book." Her foster mother grumbled under her breath and Bonnie didn't think she was suppose to hear her. When she and the woman had been in the presence of her social worker she hadn't seemed like the type to curse or whisper things with such distaste. "This is Damon," The woman said more loudly, motioning towards the boy who didn't even glance up from his book. "He's Stefan's older brother," oh yeah Stefan, the shy boy who was eating a apple in the kitchen. "Damon, why not greet Bonnie?" Damon simply continued to stare down at his book, his expression such sincere confusion that Bonnie wanted to know what in the book made him look so. Lea, the foster mother, huffed. "He's always like that. Always reading that same book like he's in a trance." The woman smiled a smile that Bonnie thought didn't fit her face at all. "I suppose its good, its not everyday a ten year old boy wants to read. Come on, Bonnie, I'll show you you're room."

With one finally glance at the boy still stuck inside his book, Bonnie shrugged her worn pink backpack up her shoulders and followed the woman up some stairs.

(COH)

It was on her third night in her new home that Bonnie was awakened from a fitful sleep by sounds of soft whimpering. Her skin had been damp because of the nightmare she had been pulled from and the heat inside the home didn't make it any better. She wanted to roll over and go to sleep again because the cries didn't sound human, but they persisted.

Finally she rolled out of bed, rubbing her stinging eyes. She stumbled a couple of steps, legs still asleep and followed the sound. She wasn't suppose to be out of her bedroom after bedtime a rule Ms. Lea had given her but Ms. Lea wasn't suppose to have Mr. Peter living in the house either, so Bonnie chalked it up to everyone not doing what they're suppose too.

She kept the fact that she wasn't suppose to be out of her room though as she crept quietly downstairs. She wasn't surprised when the cries led her through the kitchen and to the backdoor. She was surprised to see that the backdoor was slightly cracked.

She blinked, but didn't really see the danger in peeking her head out, not at her age. So she pulled the door open a little bit more and squeezed herself through the larger crack she had created.

She stood on the small back porch, toes curling into the damp concrete underneath her. She frowned and stared into the darkened trees that made up the backyard. She bit her lip worriedly, fear finally gripping her at the idea of venturing off the porch and into the trees.

Another cry pulled her attention. It had come from behind the wall of trees but to the side, around the corner of the house.

Another cry sounded and the thought of an animal hurt and suffering pushed her off the porch and into the mud. She winced as the wet earth squished between her toes and coated her ankles. She hugged the side of the house, feeling safer close to it.

When she rounded the corner she saw something strange. There illuminated only because of the large yard light sitting towards the edge of the property, was Damon Salvatore. She hadn't actually spent a lot of time with the blue eyed boy since she had gotten there. Unlike his brother who Bonnie had rode bikes with the day before and played a game of tag just earlier that day, Damon spent most of his time reading his book. She doesn't think she'd ever heard him say a word. She had deemed him weird and left him to his weirdness.

But now she was curious, why was he out in the middle of the night when he rarely ever left the living room. His hair was wet and plastered to his face which was down turned as he stared down at something with odd intensity.

She heard a cry again and she quickly leaned around the air and heat conditioning unit which was blocking her view. There, underneath the boy's gray sneaker covered feet was a tiny brown puppy, its neck underneath his foot as it struggled fruitlessly.

Bonnie's mouth fell open in shock before transforming into a sharp line filled with anger and determination. She had took only one step forward before a hand was placed over her mouth and she was being shoved to the ground.

A body fell on top of hers also losing their balance and they stumbled into the side of the house behind the cooling and heating system.

"Shhh, its me, Stefan," she heard her attacker whisper quietly as he scrambled off her. She licked his hand. "Ewww, why you do that?" He grumbled quietly as he quickly moved his hand back.

She could barely make out the brown haired boy in the darkness. "Why did _you_ do that?" She found herself whispering back. "Now I'm all muddy."

Stefan was quiet for a second. "You should leave Damon alone." He said somberly.

Bonnie couldn't understand him. "Why? He's hurting that puppy. I have to stop him."

She didn't wait for whatever else he was about to say, Bonnie was already from behind the system and racing towards Damon. She pushed the larger boy off the puppy, making him land in a large mud puddle nearby.

She heard Stefan huffing and puffing as he made his way over and was pleased to see the puppy quickly scamper away. She kept her eyes on Damon though, who was now looking up at her with confused very bright blue eyes. His eyes flickered to the escaping puppy briefly before looking back at her. His head tilted slightly.

"Why did you do that?" He talked, which she managed to refrain from childishly pointing out.

"Because you were hurting that puppy, you, jerk!" She glared at him hard and folded her arms in the way her grams did when she was scolding her about something.

His eyes flickered to the direction the dog had gone off to, "yes...I was hurting him." He agreed. "Why did you push me? Because I was hurting the dog?"

Was he stupid or something? She thought for a second wondering was he being smart or something, but the genuine confusion on his face suggested he was serious. "Of course that's why!" She shouted at him before remembering they weren't suppose to be outside at all. Although she hoped she could get out of trouble if she told them she was simply rescuing a poor animal from being tortured.

His dark brows furrowed. "Why?"

Bonnie frowned. What was wrong with this kid? She glanced back at Stefan who looked so worried he looked ill. With a huff, Bonnie marched forward, feet sinking into the mud. She stopped right next to the downed Damon, bent, and pinched him.

He jerked away from her and stared at her with a deep frown as he rubbed his arm. " _Why?_ " His voice was extremely stressed but Bonnie didn't notice.

She smirked at him. "Did that hurt?"

He blinked at her. "It did."

"That's why I stopped you from hurting the puppy." She explained. "Being in pain is really bad. Causing other things and people pain for no reason is just wrong." She told him as if it was obvious, his expression suggested it wasn't.

"Why is it wrong?"

Bonnie frowned. "What do you me why is it wrong?" She wondered was he ever going to get up out of the mud.

"I wanted to see...how it responded to pain. I wanted to see how much it could take. What's wrong with wanting to know these things?" He asked.

Bonnie glanced back at Stefan once again in confusion. "Did you like it when I pinched you?" She asked slowly, attempting to make sense and make sense.

"No," he answered quickly, glancing down at her hands with disdain.

"Also," Bonnie continued, "my grams always said don't pick on things smaller and weaker than you, its just not fair. If you wanted to hurt something why not a big mean dog?" She sniffed.

"That was the only one around." He answered with so much honesty Bonnie was stunned silent. "I think I understand though what it is you are trying to say. I do not enjoy feeling pain and others also do not enjoy feeling pain so I should care about their _feelings_ and not cause them pain?" He finally pulled himself off the ground. "I will consider it." He began to walk away. "Do not pinch me again, Bonnie, or I would have to pinch you back. That would only be fair."

He was gone quickly, disappearing back around the house.


End file.
